Toward the Standardization of the BVL_RU: An Instrument for Speech and Language Assessment of Russian-speaking Children

The Battery for the assessment of speech and language development in children from 4 to 12 years (BVL_4-12; [1]) was originally developed for Italian-speaking children and currently is under adaptation into several European languages including Russian. The BVL_4-12 consists of three parts and includes tasks assessing oral production, comprehension and repetition skills in children. This article describes the process of adaptation of the BVL_4-12 into Russia and focuses on the instructions’ translation and standardization. It presents the results of the tasks instructions’ clarity evaluation by an expert panel including Russian-speaking specialists constantly working with children of a target age in Russia and Italy (N = 7) and a cohort of children from 4.06 to10.10 including monolinguals with typical language development, children previously diagnosed with primary language impairment (PLI) and heritage Russian speakers (N = 84). Overall, 10 task instructions were judged as absolutely clear and 5 task instructions were somewhat unclear to some of the participants. Further analysis ofthe age of the participants who rated the instructions as ‘unclear’ was performed. Some of the youngest participants, whose age did not exceed 6.10, found that the instructions for the following tasks were not clear: phonological fluency; sentence completion; grammatical judgments; idiom comprehension, and comprehension of linguistic prosody. However, the minimum inter-rater agreement among the sample was reached. The potential explanation of the results of the study is proposed in the Discussion section. Keywords: language assessment, Russian, children, SLI, task instruction

Current state and tendencies of development of mass electronic educational resources

The report considers the current trends of mass electronic educational resources and technologies. Analysis of existing foreign electronic educational resources, as well as the Russian experience of development in this sphere. Makes a number of conclusions about the prospects of introduction of mass electronic educational technologies on the Russian market.В докладе рассмотрены современные тенденции развития массовых электронных образовательных ресурсов и технологий. Проводится анализ существующих зарубежных электронных образовательных ресурсов, а также российского опыта развития в данной сфере. Делается ряд выводов о перспективности внедрения массовых электронных образовательных технологий на российском рынке

Comprehension of idiomatic expressions by Russian speaking typically developing children

© Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2017. Background. The ability to understand idiomatic expressions begins to develop at an early age. However, such skill is not achieved within the same age and at the same pace in children speaking different languages. Objective. This study assesses comprehension of idiomatic expressions by Russian- speaking monolingual children aged 4 to 12 and monitoring the age dynamics of figurative language understanding. Design. 80 children were split in 4 age groups balanced for gender and level of formal education. The participants were asked to identify the correct non-literal meaning of 10 idioms. For each idiomatic expression, children heard three potential interpretations (one correct, and two incorrect ones of which one was literal while the other was overtly wrong). Results. Age-related differences were analysed by performing a series of univariate ANOVAs. These analyses showed that already at preschool age children begin to understand some kinds of idiomatic expressions and that such ability slowly develops throughout childhood. Interestingly, until the age of 6 children predominantly interpreted idioms literally. By the age of 7 their ability to correctly understand the non-literal meanings of idiomatic expressions enhanced significantly until it reached a plateau around the age of 12. Conclusion. The results of the study are in line with those found for children speaking other languages. The findings are interpreted in light of recent theories of language and cognitive development. Potential limitations of the study are also discussed

Possibilities of Detecting Pre-clinical Forms of Atherosclerosis During Periodic Preventive Inspections in Organized Collectives at Workers of Machine Building Enterprises

Aim. To study the structural and functional features of the carotid and femoral arteries using ultrasound duplex scanning of them in patients with hypertension undergoing periodic preventive medical examination.Material and methods. Periodic preventive examination was carried out for 2431 employees (1311 men and 1120 women) aged 20-65 years using a specially developed questionnaire, blood pressure measurement, anthropometry, total cholesterol test. Hypertensive men were assessed for preclinical manifestations of atherosclerosis by ultrasound duplex scanning of the carotid and femoral arteries.Results. Hypertensive men (BP ≥140/90 mmHg and/or taking antihypertensive drugs; n=176, mean age 43.5 years) were included in the study. An increase in the thickness of the intima-media complex in the carotid arteries was found in 22.2% (n=38) people, in the femoral arteries – in 34.1% (n=60) people, in both basins – in 16.5% (n= 29) man. Atherosclerotic plaques in the carotid arteries were found in 40.3% of people (n=71), and in the femoral arteries – in 34.7% (n=61) of people, in both pools – in 23.9% (n=42) of men.Conclusion. Ultrasound diagnostic using modern ultrasound scanners is a highly informative method for non-invasive diagnosis of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the carotid and femoral basins in employees of a large industrial enterprise with arterial hypertension in the conditions of the medical and sanitary department. Carrying out these diagnostic approaches is advisable when organizing periodic medical examinations in order to improve primary prevention, as well as to prevent the aggravation of the identified pathological process, reduce complications, improve quality and increase life expectancy

Statistics of Neutron Stars at the Stage of Supersonic Propeller

We analyze the statistical distribution of neutron stars at the stage of a supersonic propeller. An important point of our analysis is allowance for the evolution of the angle of inclination of the magnetic axis to the spin axis of the neutron star for the boundary of the transition to the supersonic propeller stage for two models: the model with hindered particle escape from the stellar surface and the model with free particle escape. As a result, we have shown that a consistent allowance for the evolution of the inclination angle in the region of extinct radio pulsars for the two models leads to an increase in the total number of neutron stars at the supersonic propeller stage. This increase stems from he fact that when allowing for the evolution of the inclination angle $\chi$ for neutron stars in the region of extinct radio pulsars and, hence, for the boundary of the transition to the propeller stage, this transition is possible at shorter spin periods (P~5-10 s) than assumed in the standard model.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures; scale corrected for figures 3-

Effect of adjuvant drugs on the analgesic activity of opioid morphine analgesics and compound RU-1205

Adjuvant medications can be used to increase the analgesic effect of opioid analgesics, reduce the manifestation of side effects, and also for premedication. This paper provides information on the effect of clonidine, haloperidol, metocloparmide, diazepam, midazolam on opioid analgesics: - morphine and the selective kappa-opioid agonist compound RU-120

ВЛИЯНИЕ ОСНОВНОЙ ОБРАБОТКИ ПОЧВЫ И СРЕДСТВ ХИМИЗАЦИИ НА УРОЖАЙНОСТЬ ГОРОХА ПОСЕВНОГО В ПОДТАЕЖНОЙ ЗОНЕ ЗАПАДНОЙ СИБИРИ

The publication studies influence of the primary tillage and complex chemicals on crop yield and quality of garden pea in respect to the climate conditions of sub-taiga zone in Western Siberia. It outlines interactions between elements of crop yield and plants productivity; it estimates economic and bioenergetics efficiency of applying of different agricultural technologies on garden pea cultivating. The most favourable agrophysical condition of the layer equal to 0–30 sm and density 1,15 g/sm3 was observed when surface tilling. Sub-surface tillage and surface tillage resulted in soil density up to 1,18 g/sm3. Deeper fall tillage (on average 193–194 mm) favours to great moisture content in the soil layer. Surface tillage favours to moisture concentration less (on 16mm or 8.5 %) and is equal to the lowest level of moisture. Subsurface tillage and surface tillage with no herbicides prevent weeds less than ploughing. The paper points out that content of impurity in soil-protective covers was increased on 21–34 un/m2, or 88–107 g/m2, and dangerous, hazardous and harmful species are increased. The authors recommend applying of resource saving technologies of soil protection tillage in cases of applying mineral fertilizers and herbicides for good pea yield. They reckon it is efficient to  apply technologies of high energy in order to get high pea yields and conserve the soil fertility.Применительно к агроклиматическим условиям подтаежной зоны Западной Сибири проведено комплексное изучение влияния основной обработки почвы и средств комплексной химизации на урожайность и качество зерна гороха посевного. Установлены зависимости между элементами структуры урожая и продуктивностью растений. Проведена оценка экономической и биоэнергетической эффективности применения различных агротехнологий возделывания гороха посевного. Более благоприятное для культуры агрофизическое состояние слоя 0–30 см по показателю плотности (1,15 г/см 3 ) наблюдалось по отвальной обработке. Безотвальная и поверхностная обработки приводили к уплотнению почвы до 1,18 г/см 3 . Формированию более высоких влагозапасов в метровом слое почвы к посеву благоприятствовали варианты с более глубокой зяблевой обработкой (в среднем 193–194 мм). При поверхностной обработке влаги накапливалось существенно меньше (на 16 мм, или 8,5%), при этом ее содержание было на уровне наименьшей влагоёмкости. Без применения гербицидов безотвальная и поверхностная обработки почвы под горох значительно хуже справляются с подавлением сорной растительности в отличие от вспашки. Засоренность по почвозащитным вариантам повышалась на 21–34 шт./м 2 , или 88–107 г/м 2 , при этом происходит увеличение доли более злостных и трудноискоренимых видов. В вариантах с использованием минеральных удобрений и гербицидов для получения стабильных урожаев гороха с сохранением плодородия почвы рекомендуется применение ресурсосберегающих почвозащитных обработок почвы. Для получения более высоких урожаев гороха хорошего качества в хозяйствах с достаточным материальным обеспечением следует использовать технологии с высокими энергетическими затратами

Distribution, excretion and metabolic pathways of a single parenteral administration of kappa-opioid receptor agonist RU-1205

The purpose was to study the pharmacokinetic properties of RU-1205 with the previously identified kappa-agonistic and analgesic effects after parenteral administratio

Study of aversive and p38 mapk-inhibitory properties of kappa-agonist with analgesic activity-compound RU-1205

The clinical use of kappa-opioid agonists, despite their lack of significant drug potential, is limited by the development of severe sedation, dysphoria, depression, and anhedonia. To this date, there are kappa-opioid receptor agonists lacking these side effects due to the selective activation of intracellular signal transmission pathways without p38-MAPK-kinase activatio

Transcriptome profile of yeast reveals the essential role of PMA2 and uncharacterized gene YBR056W-A (MNC1) in adaptation to toxic manganese concentration

© The Royal Society of Chemistry.Adaptation of S. cerevisiae to toxic concentrations of manganese provides a physiological model of heavy metal homeostasis. Transcriptome analysis of adapted yeast cells reveals upregulation of cell wall and plasma membrane proteins including membrane transporters. The gene expression in adapted cells differs from that of cells under short-term toxic metal stress. Among the most significantly upregulated genes are PMA2, encoding an ortholog of Pma1 H+-ATPase of the plasma membrane, and YBR056W-A, encoding a putative membrane protein Mnc1 that belongs to the CYSTM family and presumably chelates manganese at the cell surface. We demonstrate that these genes are essential for the adaptation to toxic manganese concentration and propose an extended scheme of manganese detoxification in yeast